Light & Shadow -35mm

Intro to Film and the 35mm SLR - Photo 1

Assignment: For this assignment, every student to shoot his or her own roll of film dealing with Light, Shadow, and Texture. You are expected to process this film and then make a contact sheet in the darkroom. From the contact sheet, you will see the small positive images, and you can choose one strong image to enlarge into a 5 inch by 7 inch print.

Challenge: Expose and process a roll of film. Choose a strong negative with good exposure to make an enlarged print with a strong range of value (detail in the
highlight and shadow areas).

Dimensions: You are required to shoot a minimum of 1 roll of black and white film (the film has between 12 and 16 images per roll). You will turn in a contact sheet, test strips, and one final enlarged print.

Criteria:

I. Design and Composition

• Your print will successfully intrigue the viewer with its amazing depiction of light and shadow.

• Your final print must exhibit an understanding of visual devices – such as positive and negative space relationships, visual balance, focal point and lesser areas of emphasis, as well as, contrast and tension.


II. Methods, Tools, and Techniques

• A minimum of 1 roll of film, 1 contact sheet and 1 print are due. Your final photograph (enlarged print) demonstrates focus, clarity, alignment, rich darks, bright whites and value gradations in between.


III. Reflection & Critique

• Effort was put forth in order to complete the piece.

• Deadlines were adhered to and materials/equipment were properly used and cared for during the process.

• Participated in discussions and critique in a thoughtful manner.

• A written assessment/reflection is included and is completed carefully and thoughtfully.


Considerations:
• Please have an understanding of how your camera’s light meter works. Be able to easily change the aperture (f-stop) and shutter speed in order to make your light meter “happy”.  If the light meter does not work, you must use your exposure calculator.
• Don’t photograph the most obvious thing. Try to see light and texture in new ways.
• Put in the time! You must re-shoot if your negatives turn out underexposed (thin negatives) or overexposed (dark, dense negatives).

Key Vocabulary:
SLR: Single-lens reflex --> A type of camera with one lens that is used for both viewing and taking the picture. A mirror inside the camera reflects the image up into the viewfinder. When the picture is taking, this mirror moves out of the way, allowing light entering the lens to travel directly to the film.

35mm: refers to the actual size of the film we are use at NHS.

Enlargement: An image, usually a print, that is larger than a film negative. Made by projecting an enlarged image of the negative onto sensitized paper.

Contact sheet: A photograph produced by placing the negative in contact with the photo paper under a light, usually the enlarger light. For 35mm film, a contact print is almost exclusively used to test the negative’s quality and provide a record of the photographs on it (also called a proof sheet).

Overexpose: To expose film OR paper to too much light. Overexposing film produces a negative that is too dark (dense) and overexposing paper produces a print that is too dark.

Underexpose: To expose film OR paper to too little light. Underexposing film produces a negative that is too light (thin). Underexposing paper produces a print that is too light.





Subpages (1): Making a Print